The state of the art comprises different solutions for performing such laser cladding operations in order to repair some metal parts while preventing an oxidation phenomenon of the part considered. In particular, the solution shown in FIG. 1 has been disclosed. In this figure, a blade 101 is shown in which one end 102 has been damaged and for which cladding by laser fusion is necessary. This is done using a nozzle 103 emitting a laser beam, or more generally an electron beam, to melt a powder so as to clad the end 102.
In this illustrated process, a protection chamber 104 is placed at the end of the nozzle 103. The protection chamber 104 has a lower end with a notch 105 globally in the shape of an inverted U, notch 105 inside which the end 102 to be cladded is inserted. The oxygen inside the volume of the notch 105 is expelled by injecting a neutral gas, for example argon or helium, through pipes 106 connected to the nozzle 103; the end 102 may thus be cladded without any oxidation phenomenon occurring. Therefore in such an example, a gas from the nozzle is used as local protection for the zone to be reconstructed.
However, such a process is not satisfactory for cladding the end 102 over a significant distance of a few centimetres. The end 102 of the blade 101 is curved, and the limited translational displacement of the nozzle 103 prevents the protection chamber from moving over this significant distance. The notch 105 must be limited in size to allow its filling by a neutral gas and so that the protection chamber 104 can be inserted between the blade 101 and adjacent blades (not shown). The consequence of this limitation in size is that the walls of the notch 105 are close to each other and quickly come into contact with the end 102, preventing movement of the end 102 inside the notch 105 and consequently making it impossible to clad the entire end 102 to be cladded. Furthermore, despite efforts made, the oxidation phenomenon cannot be entirely eliminated with this process.
The state of the art also discloses the use of large booths that create a space that can either be filled with neutral gas or inside which a vacuum can be created and into which the part to be cladded and all the equipment required for cladding are inserted; but such a solution is expensive and slow in practice due to the large quantities of inert gases inserted into the booth considered.